Method for dividing the flow of signatures

ABSTRACT

A device for dividing the flow of signatures into two paths of signatures uses two cam rows and a stationary guide wedge. Two conveyor belt systems initially deliver the signatures to a leading edge of the guide wedge. This leading edge is provided with guide channels into and out of which the conveyor belts in each of the two conveyor belt systems are alternatingly moved by high and low cam portions of the cam disks carried on the two cam rows.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention-relates to a device for rerouting signatures clampedbetween first and second conveyor belts. A guide wedge system extendstransversely to the conveying direction of the conveyor belts. Theconveyor belts ride on different conveying tracks.

A device for dividing a flow of signatures into two partial flows isknown from EP 0 254 037 A1. This is accomplished in that conveyor belts,between which the signatures are clamped, respectively rest against thecircumference of two oppositely disposed control rollers, which areeccentrically and rotatably seated. The two control rollers oscillate ina timed manner and alternatingly push the signatures via the conveyorbelts against a deflection edge of a guide wedge. From there, they reacha first, or respectively a second conveying track.

Furthermore, a device for sorting sheets of paper or the like, which areguided between conveyor belts, is known from DE-PS 1 223 682, whereinone of two conveying tracks is selectively blocked. This is accomplishedin that a deflection member pushes the conveyor belts against a guideface of a guide wedge. At that time, the second conveying track is open.

DE 3210 C discloses a sheet distributor by means of belt systems and awedge arranged between them. This wedge is pivotably arranged as a shuntbetween belts of the belt system.

The object of the present invention is based on providing a device forrerouting signatures in a flow of signatures into two partial flows ontwo conveying tracks.

In accordance with the present invention, this object is attained byproviding first and second conveyor belts which clamp the signatures andmove them in a conveying direction from an infeed conveying track to afirst conveying track and a second conveying track. A guide wedgeextends transversely to the conveying direction and has upper and lowerguide surfaces. The belts move on different conveying tracks which aretypically formed on the guide surfaces of the guide wedge.

The advantages to be achieved by the present invention consist, inparticular, in that the front edges of the signatures do not pushagainst the deflection edge of the guide wedge, where they could cause apile-up in this way. The service life of the conveyor belts isincreased, because they need not drive any control rollers.

If thick signatures—for example with 64 pages—are to be rerouted, it isadvantageous if the base circle of at least one of the two cam disks, orrespectively cam rollers, having the radius r1, or respectively r4, onwhich the high cams have been placed, has a multiply larger diameterwith several taller cams than the other cam roller arranged opposite itand working together with it. Only slightly harmful displacement forcesbetween the inner and outer layers of the signatures are then created inthe course of deflecting, i.e. during the directional change of thesignatures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A preferred embodiment of the present invention is represented in thedrawings and will be explained in greater detail in what follows.

Shown are in:

FIG. 1, a schematic side elevation view of a device for reroutingsignatures in a flow of signatures in accordance with the presentinvention in a first work position and releasing a first conveying trackfor the signatures,

FIG. 2, a schematic side elevation view of the device of FIG. 1, but ina second work position and releasing a second conveying track for thesignatures,

FIG. 3, an enlarged view taken along line III—III in FIG. 1, and in

FIG. 4, an enlarged view taken along line IV—IV in FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The device for dividing the flow of signatures, in accordance with thepresent invention consists essentially of a first cam roller or cam row1, with one or a plurality of transversely spaced cams, each defininghigh cams 20, 21, 22 and low cams 17, and a second cam roller or cam row2, with one or a plurality of transversely spaced cams, each defininghigh cams 25, 26, 27 and low cams 30, 31, 32, all as seen in FIGS. 1 and2 which are arranged meshing or interdigitating and revolving with eachother and which are axis-parallel with each other. It will be understoodthat each cam on each cam row has a high cam segment and a low camsegment and that these segments are circumferentially spaced on eachcam.

Conveyor belts of two driven conveyor belt systems 3, 4 run between theoppositely located cams of the cam rows 1, 2 and rest against thecircumferences of the cams in these two cam rows 1 and 2. Each of theconveyor belt systems 3, 4 consists of several conveyor belts.Signatures 6, 7 are clamped between the conveyor belts of the conveyorbelt systems 3, 4 in the following alternating sequence: signature6—signature 7—signature 6—signature 7—and they reach an entry wedge area8 between the oppositely located cams of the two cam rows 1, 2.

The signatures 6, 7 had previously been created in a known manner bytransverse cutting of a paper strand. They can be folded or not folded.

The conveyor belts of the conveyor system 3, 4 which may be referred toas conveyor belts 3, 4 together enter a gap 9 in the entry wedge betweenthe cams of the cam rows 1, 2, in a signature infeed conveying track andthereafter separate at an acute opening angle ′ of, for example, 10° andcontinue to run in separate first and second or upper and lowerconveying tracks 51, 52, respectively. In the process, the conveyorbelts 3, 4 form an outlet wedge 11 downstream of the gap 9.

Downstream of the outlet wedge 11, the conveyor belts 3, 4 are conductedover guide rollers, not represented, to processing stations,longitudinal folding devices, etc.

The first, upper cam row 1 has alternatingly one or several low cams 17with a respectively small radius r1 and a low control surface 18, asseen in FIG. 3 on its circumference, as well as one or several highercams 20, or respectively 21, or respectively 22, with a large radius r2and a high control surface 23, as may be seen in FIG. 4.

A stroke distance b1 between the low and the high control surfaces 18,23 of the low cams 17 and the high cams 20, 21, 22 respectively of thefirst, upper cam roll 1 can extend between two and six millimeters. Astroke distance b2 between the low control surfaces 33 of the low cams30, 31, 32, and the high control surfaces 28 of the high cams 25, 26, or27 of the second cam row 2 correspondingly can also be between two andsix millimeters.

The cam row 1 can be designed in different ways, for example, it canconsist of a tube-shaped roller with high cams 20, 21, 22, which arespaced apart from each other and which extend in a strip-shape in thecircumferential direction, or it can have several cam disks, which arespaced apart at a distance a1 from each other and are which kept apartby spacers 34, for example.

The second cam row 2 can be designed in accordance with the samestructural principles as the first cam row 1, but has a reduceddiameter. The second cam row 2 which may be, for example ring-shaped,has high cams 25, or respectively 26, or respectively 27, which arespaced apart at a clear distance a2, extend in the circumferentialdirection, and have a respective radius r3 and a high control surface28, and low cams 30, 31, 32, which respectively adjoin the high cams 25to 27 in the circumferential direction of the roller 2 and have a lowradius r4 and respectively low control surfaces 33.

Besides the embodiments already explained, such as for examplestrip-shaped control surfaces placed on a roller, or cam rollers 36 keptapart by spacers 34, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the cam rows 1, 2 canalso consist of a roller with circumferential annular grooves which iscircular in cross section, but which is eccentrically seated.

A guide wedge 13, which fixed in place on a frame and having an upperguide surface 14 and a lower guide surface 16, is provided.

The guide wedge extends opposite the conveying direction of the conveyorbelts 3, 4 with its cutter-shaped deflection edge 12, or respectivelyits thin end 10. The cutter-shaped deflection edge on the thin end 10can be designed with a sharp edge, but can also be rounded.

The guide wedge 13 can consist for example—viewed in the axial directionof the cam roller 1, 2—of several spaced apart individual guide wedges37, 38, 39, 40, but can also be designed comb-like with “teeth” and freespaces between them. The thin ends 10 of the guide wedge 13, orrespectively the individual guide wedges 37 to 40 are respectivelylocated between the axially adjoining cams 20, 21, 22.

In the course of the rotating movement of the cam rows 1, 2, the lowcams 17 with the low control surface 18 of the first cam row 1respectively act together with the high cams 25, 26, 27 with the highcontrol surface 28 of the second cam row 2, as well as with therespective conveyor belts 3, 4 resting against them, i.e. they mesh witheach other. The high cams 20, 21, 22 with the high control surface 23 ofthe first cam row 1 work together with the low cams 30, 31, 32 with thelow control surface 33 of the second cam row 2, and vice versa.Respective conveyor belts 3, 4 rest on their control surface.

The signatures 6, or respectively 7, traverse a free space above theupper guide surface(s) 14 of the guide wedge 13 as seen in FIGS. 1 and3, or respectively a free space below the lower guide surface(s) 16(FIGS. 2 and 4) of the individual guide wedges 37, 38, 39, 40, as shownin FIGS. 2 and 4.

The individual guide wedges 37 to 40 are fastened, spaced apart inrespect to each in the axial direction of the cam rollers 1,2, on across bar 44, which is fixed in place on the lateral frame, and which isshown in FIG. 1.

In accordance with another preferred embodiment, the individual wedges37 to 40 are fastened in an interlocking manner, or connected becausethey are of the same material, comb-like with their thick ends 15 on thecross bar, or respectively cross beam 44, which is fixed in place on thelateral frame. The conveyor belts 3, 4 are then pushed, in a timedmanner by the high cams 20 to 22, or respectively 25 to 27, into thefree gaps 42, or respectively 43, between or next to the individualguide wedges 37 to 40. In the course of this, the conveyor belts 3, 4dip with their entire thickness d, or with only a portion thereof, intothese gaps 42 or 43.

In the course of this movement of the conveyor belts 3 and 4 withrespect to the guide wedge or wedges, the respective high controlsurface 23 of the high cams 20 to 22 pushes the upper conveyor belt 3resting against it over its entire or partial thickness d into a freespace between two “guide teeth” of the guide wedge 13, which is designedin the shape of a comb, or respectively between two individual guidewedges 37 to 40, or one to the left or the right of these.

In the process, the upper conveyor belt 3 moves, with its entire orpartial thickness, through the free space enclosed in the virtualextension, as viewed in the axial direction of the cam row 1, orrespectively 2, by the upper guide surface 14 and the lower guidesurface 16. This occurs in a meshing way from the direction of the lowerguide surface 16 up past the upper guide surface 14.

The virtual extension of the lower guide surface 16, as viewed in theaxial direction of the cam row 1, or respectively 2—partially orcompletely intersects the movement track of the conveyor belt 3 seatedon the high cams 20, 21, 22. The insertion of the signatures 7 into thelower conveying track 52 is achieved by this, as is depicted in FIG. 2.

The respective guide surfaces 14, 16 of the individual guide wedges 37to 40 are designed to be flat. In accordance with another preferredembodiment, the guide surfaces, and in particular the portions of theguide surfaces 14, 16 of the individual guide wedges 37 to 40 located inthe vicinity of the deflection edge 12, are respectively concavelycurved.

At the respective end, close to the cross bar, of the upper and lowerguide surface 14, 16 of the guide wedge 13, or respectively of theindividual guide wedges 37 to 40, further conveyor belts 46, 47 arearranged in addition to the conveyor belts 3, 4 and cooperate with them.These conveyor belts 46, 47 are respectively guided around reversingrollers 48, 49. They constitute the continuation of the conveying tracks51, or respectively 52.

It can be advantageous if the first cam row—here the first cam row 1—,on which the flow of signatures 6 and 7 is first moved, has a wholenumber multiple of cams in comparison with the second cam row 2 workingtogether with it, for example 6 cams to 2 cams. By means of this step,it is possible to reroute thicker signatures 6 without harmfuldisplacement forces between the inner and outer layers of the signature6 occurring.

The virtual extension of the upper guide surface 14—viewed in the axialdirection of the cam row 1, or respectively 2—towards the left and rightis defined as virtual guide surface 19, as seen in FIG. 1.

The virtual extension of the lower guide surface 16—viewed in the axialdirection of the cam roller 1, or respectively 2—towards the left andright is defined as virtual guide surface 24. This lower vertical guidesurface 24 is also shown in FIG. 1.

The device for dividing the flow of signatures in accordance with thepresent invention operates as follows: the signatures 6, 7, which areclamped between the conveyor belts 3, 4, are fed to the entry wedge 8.These signatures 6, 7 are alternatingly distributed onto the first andsecond conveying tracks 51, 52. In the course of this, because of theposition of the first cam row 1 with the low control surface 18 of thelow cam 17, respectively one signature, for example a signature 6, isguided, sliding on the free upper guide surface 14 of the guide wedge13, from the upper conveyor belt system 3 to the conveying track 51.Simultaneously, the high control surface 28 of the high cam 25 of thelower cam row 2 has respectively lifted the lower conveyor belts 4 ofthe lower conveyor belt system 4 sufficiently so that they move, withtheir entire or partial thickness through the free space between twoguide teeth of a comb-like embodied guide wedge 13, or respectivelybetween two individual guide wedges 37 to 40, or to the left or right ofthese, in the direction toward the conveying track 52. By means of this,the path of the signatures 6 along the lower guide surface 16 of the“teeth” or individual guide wedges 37 to 40 is temporarily blocked. Bothconveyor belts 3, 4 then run above the deflection edge 12 of the “teeth”of the guide wedge 13, or respectively the individual guide wedges 37 to40 as seen in FIG. 1. Expressed in other words, in the course of this,the lower conveyor belt 4 moves with its entire or partial thicknessthrough the free spaces enclosed on both sides by the virtualextension—viewed in the axial direction of the cam rows 1, orrespectively 2—of the upper guide surface 14 and the lower guide surface16. Namely from the direction above the upper guide surface 14 andextending past the lower guide surface 16.

When the cam rows 1, 2 continue to rotate, the trailing end of thesignature 6 on the upper track finally passes by the thin end 10 of theteeth, or respectively of the individual guide wedges 37 to 40. Now thehigh control surfaces 23 of the high cams 20 to 22 of the first or uppercam row 1 work against the low control surfaces 33 of the low cams 30 to32 of the second or lower cam row 2 in order to guide the respectivesignature 7, which follows the signature 6, along the lower guidesurface 16 to the lower conveying track 52.

In this way, a signature 6, or respectively 7, or the inner face of aconveyor belt 3, or respectively 4, are alternatingly moved, slidinglyor at a short distance of, for example, 0.1 mm, past the guide surfaces14, or respectively 16, of the individual guide wedges 37 to 40 or ofthe guide wedge 13.

A further advantage of the device of the invention also resides in that,because of the alternating passage of the conveying belts 3, 4 throughthe thin end 10 of the guide wedge 13, or respectively of the spaceenclosed by the virtual guide surface 19, 24, a front of a signature 6,7 cannot bump against a deflection edge 12 of the guide wedge 13.

While a preferred embodiment of a device for dividing the flow ofsignatures in accordance with the present invention has been set forthfully and completely hereinabove, it will be apparent to one of skill inthe art that a number of changes in, for example, the type of printingpress used to print the signatures, the motive power source for theconveyor belts and the like could be made without departing from thetrue spirit and scope of the present invention which is accordingly tobe limited only by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device for rerouting signatures comprising: afirst conveyor belt system having first conveyor belts, and a secondconveyor belt system having second conveyor belts, said first and secondconveyor belts cooperating to clamp signatures and to move the clampedsignatures in a signature conveying direction along a signature infeedtrack; a first signature conveying track and a second signatureconveying track; a stationary guide wedge system extending transverselyto said conveying direction of travel of said first and second conveyorbelts, said stationary guide wedge system having an upper guide surface,a lower guide surface, a thin, leading edge and a thick trailing edge,said first conveyor belts and said second conveyor belts diverging atsaid thin leading edge, said first conveyor belts extending along saidfirst signature conveying track and said second conveyor belts extendingalong said second signature conveying track; upper grooves on said upperguide surface adjacent said leading edge, and lower grooves on saidlower guides surface adjacent said leading edge; an upper plane definedby said upper guide surface, and a lower plane defined by said lowerguide surface, said upper and lower planes defining a wedge-shaped spacesurrounding said stationary guide web; a first cam row and a second camrow, said first cam row engaging said first conveyor belts and saidsecond cam row engaging said second conveyor belts, each of said camrows having spaced cams, each said spaced cam having a high cam surfaceand a low cam surface; and means for rotating said first cam row andsaid second cam row to alternatingly introduce said first conveyor beltsand said second conveyor belts into said wedge-shaped space and intosaid upper grooves and said lower grooves.
 2. The device in accordancewith claim 1 wherein said guide wedge system is a single guide wedgehaving said upper and lower grooves.
 3. The device in accordance withclaim 1 wherein said guide wedge system includes a plurality of guidewedges, said guide wedges being arranged transversely to said conveyingdirection and being axially spaced apart.
 4. The device of claim 3further including a cross beam extending transverse to said conveyingdirection, said plurality of guide wedges being secured to said crossbeam.
 5. The device of claim 1 wherein said cams of said first and saidsecond cam rows mesh with each other.
 6. The device of claim 1 whereinsaid first and second cam rows each have two rows of cam disks whosecams mesh with each other.
 7. The device of claim 5 wherein each of saidcams has a first control surface with a first radius and a secondcontrol surface with a second radius, said first radius being greaterthan said second radius.
 8. The device of claim 6 wherein each of saidcams has a first control surface with a first radius and a secondcentral surface with a second radius, said first radius being greaterthan said second radius.
 9. The device of claim 7 wherein each of saidfirst radius control surfaces on said first cam row can be brought intoengagement with said first conveyor belts, and further wherein each ofsaid second radius control surfaces on said second cam row can bebrought into engagement with said second conveyor belts.
 10. The deviceof claim 8 wherein each of said first radius control surfaces on saidfirst cam row can be brought into engagement with said first conveyorbelts, and further wherein each of said second radius control surfaceson said second cam row can be brought into engagement with said secondconveyor belts.
 11. The device of claim 5 wherein a number of said camsof said first cam row is a whole number multiple of a number of saidcams of said second cam row.
 12. The device of claim 6 wherein a numberof said cams of said first cam row is a whole number multiple of anumber of said cams of said second cam row.
 13. The device of claim 5further including free spaces located axially between adjacent ones ofsaid cams of each of said first and second cam rows, said spaces on saidfirst and second cam rows being located opposite from each other. 14.The device of claim 6 further including free spaces located axiallybetween adjacent ones of said cams of each of said first and second camrows, said spaces on said first and second cam rows being locatedopposite from each other.
 15. The device of claim 5 wherein said camsare driven, eccentrically seated circular disks.
 16. The device of claim6 wherein said cams are driven, eccentrically seated circular disks. 17.The device of claim 1 wherein said guide wedge system is comb-shaped andhas individual guide wedge sections arranged tooth-like adjacent eachother in an axial direction of said guide wedge system.
 18. The deviceof claim 1 wherein at least one of said guide surfaces is concave.